Andover’s residents have been encouraged to get out and get fit while having all the fun of the game.

Aaron Hobbs is the captain of the Blueberry Bandits, one of the teams taking part in the Man Vs Fat league in Andover. The clubs combine the sporty side of competition with a weight loss plan to help people lose weight while enjoying themselves.

Aaron said: “The idea is that people with a lockdown belly and struggling with it can join up, have a bit of fun, lose a bit of weight and become a bit healthier.”

While obesity has been a problem for many years, the situation has become worse during Covid, with a study by the University of Liverpool finding that 56 per cent of people are snacking more than they were before the pandemic.

Aaron said: “In this day and age everyone needs a bit of motivation to get put there and get going. I’ve been doing an office job for 10 years and there comes a point when it becomes more difficult to lose those pounds so anything you can do locally to help your fitness is always of benefit.”

Man vs Fat has a league of four sides in Andover, which players get allocated to when they sign up. They all have fun names like Mo Salad, Arctic Rolls and FatBurn Rovers to try and capture the spirit of fun at the heart of their games. While the goal is losing weight, with weekly weigh-ins, it’s not designed to be intense.

“The games are generally 15 minutes each half so there won’t be any issues about fitness, you can stop for a breather,” said Aaron. “You haven’t got to be really overweight or obese, they’re both fine as long as you don’t have any serious medical conditions, and everybody’s welcome.”

There’s also talk of establishing a women’s league if the demand is there, which Aaron says is something they are looking into.

“If there are a lot of women in Andover that are interested in playing football then that’ll materialise over time,” he said.

Man Vs Fat football takes place at The Sports Academy in the West Portway Business Park on Thursday evenings from 8-9pm. For more information, you can visit: https://manvfatfootball.org/andover or call Aaron on 07930423977